The lights are on in the twinkling, noisy casino. Money clinks in the slot machines, music is playing and people are mingling – but it’s not all about the gambling, and the truth about casinos is often less glamorous than it might seem at first glance.
The real reason that casinos exist is that they generate massive amounts of profit from the game players that spend time in their premises. While a few of these guests may win big, the majority are losing their money. The casino makes its profits by encouraging game players to stay longer and take more risks. To do this, casinos use their physical environment and entertainment options to make players feel happy and enjoy their experience.
There are many factors that contribute to this atmosphere, from the type of lighting to the entertainment and food options. One example is the comps offered to high-spenders – free hotel rooms, dinners, show tickets and even limo service or airline tickets are often offered to those who play for long periods of time and place large bets.
It’s no surprise that Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are in fine form here, too – the latter’s scheming wife Ginger is a formidable sex machine (that plotline is one of the best-built scumbag moments in film history). More than Goodfellas or Basic Instinct, Casino has a sense of menace that lingers. The movie is a satire of crime, power and grift, but it also has an eye for the nuances of institutional systems of exploitation.